Device rumors fly as Samsung London event nears

Getting a jumpstart on device releases for the spring/summer season, Samsung has planned a Galaxy launch event for May 3, arousing plenty of speculation around a new line of smartphones and tablets, complete with a new cloud service. Asus is firm in its plans to release a new tablet to the U.S. market this weekend, while iHome brings its first line-up of connected devices to the Android platform.

Samsung Galaxy event

One thing we know for sure: Samsung will be revealing the next Galaxy device in London on May 3, according to an invitation the handset maker sent out this week. There are high hopes we’ll see the successor to their popular S II model, with a 4.6-inch screen featuring an edgeless design. The S III could also feature a 16-megapixel camera, wireless charging and an associated tablet for the new device line. Rumors grew as the week went on, with word that the S III could come with a Samsung cloud service. Dubbed S-Cloud, Samsung’s cloud service would come with 5GB of free storage for cross-device sync, with no limitations on the type of media you can store.

Asus Transformer Pad 300

Asus is ready to release its latest Android tablet to the U.S. market April 22. The 10.1-inch Transformer comes with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, along with a free external GPS extension kit for Eee Pad Transformer Prime owners to improve signal reception. The Taiwan-based device maker is dropping the Eee brand all together for the launch of the Transformer Pad 300, which is being promoted as a laptop replacement with 4G LTE network capabilities. It comes with an optional mobile dock and a full keyboard. Inside you’ll find a 1.2GHz quad-core Tegra 3 chip from Nvidia and GeForce graphics. The display resolution is 1280x800, with a promised 15 hours of battery life when docked. Revealed at Mobile World Congress in February, the Transformer Pad 300 is expected to ship with 8GB and 16GB models, likely priced around $400 for a 32GB version.

The news comes ahead of another expected Asus launch, the higher-end Transformer Pad Infinity with 4G LTE support and a 1920x1200 HD Super IPS+ display and a metallic spun finish.

iHome Android device lineup

There are millions of Android devices out there just waiting for home accessories, which tend to target the Apple market. After years of specializing in iOS add-ons, the iHome brand is turning its sights to Android’s vast market with an inaugural line up of docks and speakers. Priced under $60, the iHome line up comes with the iC50, an alarm clock radio dock, and the iC3 at $39.99, a charging dock for Android tablets and smartphones. Both include a speaker. Hitting stores this summer, iHome plans to expand its Android accessories line up with the $59.99 iC16, a compact, portable alarm clock stereo speaker with USB charging.